As the Atlanta Hawks prepare to play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday in an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series, soaring ticket prices have become a hot topic.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani poked a little fun at former Hawks and current Washington Wizards guard Trae Young, who has been a pain in the Knicks’ side in the playoffs, as ticket prices came under fire.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Jokingly Calls Out Ex-Hawks Star Trae Young
Spectrum News NY1’s X account showed Mamdani making his comments and mentioning Young, who is no longer with the Hawks. However, Mamdani also said sports team owners need to make tickets more budget-friendly.
“When asked about a significant price discrepancy in the Knicks-Hawks playoff series for games hosted at MSG compared to games in Atlanta, Mayor Zohran Mamdani — after joking that he blamed former Hawks player Trae Young — said he believes ‘every single owner of a sports team across the country needs to be doing more to make their tickets more affordable,'” the account posted.
“We have seen sports become more and more of a luxury commodity, and that is not what it always used to be,” Mamdani said.
When asked about a significant price discrepancy in the Knicks-Hawks playoff series for games hosted at MSG compared to games in Atlanta, Mayor Zohran Mamdani – after joking that he blamed former Hawks player Trae Young – said he believes “every single owner of a sports team… pic.twitter.com/OZfkU4apHQ
– Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) April 16, 2026
Across five NBA playoff outings against the Knicks in 2021, Young averaged 29.2 points and 9.8 assists per game as Atlanta secured a decisive 4-1 first-round series win, with the four-time All-Star becoming public enemy No. 1 in New York.
When sharing a video of Mamdani referencing Young on Thursday, Yahoo Sports senior writer Dan Wolken posted on X, “Is this real? How is this real?”
Is this real? How is this real? https://t.co/cveMi5Tce5
– Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) April 17, 2026
An “influencer” posted on X, “F**k I love this guy.” Another “influencer” wrote, “THE LEGEND OF ICE TRAE LIVES ON,” with a number of ice cube emojis following his words.
Injuries limited Young to only 15 regular-season games with the Hawks and Wizards this season. “Ice Trae” averaged 17.9 points and 8.0 assists per game.
The Hawks, in their fourth campaign under coach Quin Snyder, will enter the playoffs after posting a 46-36 regular-season record. As for the Knicks, who lost in the Eastern Conference finals last year in Tom Thibodeau’s final season as coach, they posted a 53-29 record under first-year coach Mike Brown.
It will be interesting to see if Mamdani shows up at Madison Square Garden for the series’ first game on Saturday night.
